Haiti: gang violence leaves population without medical care

The shooting resumed on Tuesday in Port Princeforcing aid workers to suspend care for thousands of Haitians.

Weeks of gang violence have led to the closure of 18 hospitals and caused a shortage of medical supplies, while the international port and airport remain closed, warned the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), a humanitarian organization based in Senegal.

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“The situation is really difficult and affects our movement daily.“, he said Antoine Maillardthe organization’s medical coordinator based in Port Prince.

Gang violence has forced around 17,000 people to flee their homes in the capital. Many are crammed into abandoned schools or other buildings, sharing a single bathroom.

Maillard said aid workers managed to reach one of the camps for displaced people on Tuesday, “but there were too many shots to be able to provide support”.

He stated that the health crisis is getting worse. Basic medicines, such as antibiotics or anti-diarrheals, are difficult to find because gang violence has made supplies difficult. The few medicines that remain have doubled or tripled in price.

This means that Haitians like Denise Duval65 years old, cannot buy medicine or see a doctor.

“My health is not good now,” the woman said, adding that she has high blood pressure and often feels dizzy. “From hearing so many gunshots my heart beats fast.”.

MORE INFORMATION: Haiti extends state of emergency in Port-au-Prince for another month due to violence

Duval takes care of three grandchildren, whose mother emigrated next door Dominican Republic looking for work. The mother sends money when she can, but Duval says it’s not possible to buy medicine and support her children at the same time.

“We live day to day, hoping something will change”, she expressed sitting in front of her house, washing dishes in a bucket.

Gunshots continue to be heard in Port-au-Prince, although gang violence has decreased in some areas since armed men began attacking public infrastructure on February 29.

Several roads remain impassable, preventing Haitians like Nadine Prospero52 years old, arrives at one of the few hospitals that still work.

Prospero lost part of his left leg in the 2010 earthquake and now cannot get the medicine he needs.

“I’m still sufferingProspero said as he walked back to his house, a cane in one hand and a bag of food in the other. “When the pain comes, if I don’t take the pills, that’s the worst”.

The largest public hospital in the Haitihe State University Hospital, is among the closed ones. Located in the center of Port-au-Prince, it was taken over and looted by gangs, who also robbed nearby pharmacies.

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Although some private hospitals or clinics are operating, they are inaccessible to the majority of the population, in a country where 60% of people earn less than 2 dollars a day.

It is estimated that gangs control 80% of Port-au-Prince, but “Its presence is present in 100% of the population’s lives“, he expressed Carlotta Pianigianifrom ALIMA.

Violence led the prime minister Ariel Henrique to announce last month that he will resign once a presidential transition council is formed.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.